Redchairproject.com expanded, reborn as OrlandoAtPlay.com

June 24, 2014|By Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel

If you're looking for date-night fun, United Arts of Central Florida hopes it has just the ticket.

Primarily known for its fundraising and grant giving, United Arts on Tuesday unveiled a new website designed to make it easier for Central Floridians to find arts, cultural and other leisure-time activities. OrlandoAtPlay.com also allows users to find nearby bars and restaurants, as well as buy tickets to events.

"We want to help those people who wake up on a Saturday morning and say 'I want to go to the farmers market in Winter Park, have lunch, see a concert at the Bob Carr and then get a drink,' " said Rae Ward, United Arts marketing director. "We want people looking for an authentic Orlando experience."

United Arts said OrlandoAtPlay.com will help arts groups promote themselves and bring new audiences to them.

To that end, agency executives chose a non-arts-specific name and have included activities outside of the arts, such as nature events, historical celebrations and parades.

OrlandoAtPlay.com replaces redchairproject.com, which had sold tickets and offered discounts to arts events since it was established in 2007 by the Arts & Cultural Alliance, which later merged with United Arts.The new site, which already has listings from more than 200 groups in seven counties, is compatible with desktop and mobile devices.

Local groups, which submit their information to OrlandoAtPlay.com, should find it easier to use, said Larissa Humiston, artistic director of Emotions Dance. She used redchairproject.com for years to promote her troupe's performances, classes and workshops.

Potential patrons also will find it a better experience, said Humiston."It has a better design, it's easier to find the things people are looking for," she said.

Created by California-based Artsopolis, the software that runs OrlandoAtPlay.com powers websitesin more than 40 communities in the nation, including Nashville, Tenn., Houston and Seattle. In Florida, organizations in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Palm Beach County use the software.

That means some visitors to Orlando will be familiar with how to use the site, Ward said.

Anything that helps attract tourists to local events — an ongoing challenge for arts groups — is welcome, said Terry Olson, director of Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs.

"It will be easier for out-of-towners to know what's going on," he said "That's a small part of the audience now. It would be great if it were a larger part."

United Arts paid an initial $25,000 licensing fee and will pay an annual maintenance fee of $3,000. New features could be added, such as public-art information and an arts-education site.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee established NowPlayingNashville.com using the Artsopolis software in 2007. Community Initiatives Director Jennifer Schwartzenberg said it was putting arts groups "on an equal playing field" with other organizations and providing cost savings to small nonprofits that couldn't afford to heavily promote their events.

Her organization led a grass-roots marketing campaign to introduce the site and also formed partnerships with other organizations, such as visitor bureaus. Nashville's newspaper, The Tennessean, is a partner and uses the group's listings on its website and in print.

The partners typically pay for the service, which offsets the costs of maintaining it, Schwartzenberg said.

United Arts, which supports more than 50 cultural organizations, also plans to help pay for the site through partnerships and advertising, Ward said.

Officials hope the name OrlandoAtPlay proves easier to remember than redchairproject, a reference to the typical seating found in theaters. Branding experts from the Orlando Magic, Walt Disney World and Visit Orlando helped with the selection.

"It's really the core of what we are," Ward said. "It's about what you want to do with your playtime."